Female Zucchini Blossom

The Lord always amazes me with His timely teachings. This summer I’ve been writing an inductive study on The Gospel According to John to be taught in the fall. In the midst of writing the lesson on John 15, the Lord gave me a real life illustration of the fruit of the vine.

I’m no gardner, really. Just a dabbler that has managed to keep more plants alive than dead. Last year, my husband and I decided enough of working for a “pretty” yard. It was time for our backyard to start working for us!

We pulled out the flax and planted a Meyer lemon bush in its place. We pulled out more bushes and planted two blueberry bushes. I scattered thyme and tarragon among the flowers. We’ve been enjoying the fruit of our labor and it’s delicious!

This season I branched out (no pun intended!). One of the vegetables I scattered among our flowering shrubs was a Zucchini squash plant. Yes, “a” plant. That’s important to note. I planted one, not several.

It quickly grew and was flourishing. The plant grew beautiful, large yellow flowers and zucchini fruit began to appear. It was exciting to watch! Every morning, with coffee cup in hand, I would walk through the garden to observe the progress of the fruit. After a few weeks, I noticed the first fruit of the zucchini plant grew a few inches and then withered, died and fell off. Hmmm…was this a trend?

For the next few weeks I observed more fruit grow to several inches, die and fall of the plant. Yikes! What was up?! What’s a gal to do? Google, of course! I consulted several gardening sites and blogs and narrowed down the cause of the failing fruit to one possibility. Our zucchini plant appeared to have little or no bees and insect activity to pollinate the flowering fruit. Our lone zucchini plant was in need of artificial insemination.

The gardening blogger suggested two manual techniques, since the insects and bugs in our garden appeared to be otherwise occupied with more luscious flowering plants. First, I would need to identify the “male” and “female” flowers. Then, I would need to take a Q-tip and transfer the pollen from the “male” stamen to the stamen of the “female” flower. The blogger also suggested using the “male” stamen itself to transfer the pollen. As weird as it seamed, I actually got excited. This could be a remedy for the early demise of the immature fruit!

I dutifully waited until the cool of next morning when the blooms were wide open and the morning dew covered the plant’s broad leaves. I identified the “male” flower (one stamen with no fruit attached to the flower) and the “female” flower (multipart stamen with a baby zucchini attached to the base of the flower). The gardening blogger suggested using either a Q-tip or the actual stamen from the “male” flower. I thought, “If a Q-tip is good, an actual stamen is even better!” and chose to pluck the “male” stamen from the flower and use it to pollinate the “female” flowers. My husband, ever the jokester, held his iPhone over the plant blaring a Barry White song. And then we waited to see what would happen.

Zucchini Fruit July 2012

After several days, the pollinated fruit did not die and drop off the plant! It began to grow bigger and bigger and now resembles the mature zucchini for sale in the farmer’s market. Hooray! But my elation was short lived…

As a looked at the lone plant, I realized there were several other flowering fruit and no “male” flower to provide pollen. Yikes! What had I done? By using the only “male” flower stamen for the first round of artificial pollination, I had unwittingly removed the only source of pollen for future fruit. My fruit would not last! There was no source of pollen to continue the fruiting process. It was a sad day in our home.

I began to piece together the example the Lord had given me as I studied John 15:

“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. John 15:4-5

Apart from a source of pollination, our lone zucchini plant could do nothing. It looked beautiful and healthy with broad green leaves sheltering the fruit from the heat of the sun. It began to grow fruit – fruit that would not grow to maturity without pollination. Without a pollination source, the young fruit quickly withered and died and fell off the plant. It’s not a perfect analogy to Jesus’ teaching, but it does offer insight and application.

If I am not abiding in the love Jesus Christ (John 15:9-10) – I will yield sickly fruit that withers and dies. The fruit will not be of the Lord, it will be of my own efforts. At best, I’m an artificial life force. My self-generated fruit will not last because apart from Jesus, I can do nothing. But if I am abiding in the love of Christ, I will yield “much fruit” – healthy fruit that will last to the glory of God!

The Jewish Quarter, Old City of Jerusalem

Our family has just come to the end of my husband’s very long period of unemployment. When the company he worked for was acquired, his division was eliminated. It was not unexpected and the Lord gave us His peace during the months that preceded the acquisition and the many months of unemployment that followed.

During this time, we could see the Lord’s hand in our lives, both collectively and individually. We know our lives are not subject to “fate” or “random chance” or “luck”. We know the Living God and His providence is ever active in our lives. Even when we can’t see His activity, we know He is active. Our seeing does not preclude His action, just as His faithfulness does not depend on our faithfulness.

It has been through this trial that I have noticed the phenomenon of acuity. The hyper sensitivity to the world around me that brings even the most ordinary things into focus. I recently saw an example of this in a friend’s life. She and her husband relocated to our area from the midwest. In the process, they have seen the Lord’s providence in selling their home, buying a new home, renovating the new home, finding a new home church, making new friends and more. Through it all, their awareness of the Lord’s activity has been heightened because He removed them from what was familiar.

When we are immersed in the familiar we often miss the Lord’s activity. It is not marvelous to us. It is not unexpected nor is it deemed awe-inspiring or particularly praiseworthy. He is, after all, God. God can do anything! He created the heavens and the earth by His great power and His outstretched arm, nothing is too difficult for Him. (Jeremiah 32:17) The ordinary things of our days are acknowledged by a sweet sigh, “Oh, that’s the Lord.” But where is our deliberate worship?

When we are swept up in the familiar machinations of our days, we may take note of the Lord’s activity or miss it all together. How can it be that the ordinary experiences of our lives fail to bring us near to our Creator? He is near to us. Where are we? Immersed in the familiar. Familiar surroundings, relationships, routines. Even our experiences with the Lord may seem routine. And then He intervenes. He heightens our acuity.

Until we have acuity, we do not fall down at the throne of grace. I have learned that sometimes it takes the Lord removing the familiar so that I can see His provision. It’s counterintuive to our human sensibilities. Removing to see provision. It’s the removing that sensitizes us to the Lord. A friendship is strained, a job is lost, a disappointment, an injury, an illness, the list is long. It’s through these times of removal of relationship, health, wealth and the like that we see the Lord’s activity and His provision to His glory.

His glory is manifested in the impossible. His glory speaks to who He is. We often hear the familiar snippet of a verse “for His name’s sake.” For His name’s sake reflects His personal character and attributes. His name is Who He Is – faithful and true, merciful and just. Love. The Lord’s character is as deep as the list of His attributes. They are infinite and the Bible provides us a glimpse of God in a way that we can understand in our humanity.

² He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.
³ He restores my soul;
He guides me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake. Psalm 23:2-3

Our experiences filtered through the Word reveal God’s character to us in a very personal way. It is through the trials of life that God is revealed to our hearts. He gives what is needed. He preserves what is dear.

Who provides? Who leads? Who restores? Who guides? And why? For His name’s sake. It is in the ordinary rhythm of life that the Lord is glorified – in our rest, our refreshing, our healing and our righteousness. He is holding it all together. Nothing is too difficult for Him.

Father’s Day is can be a poignant time of year for me. My father died when I was just 11 years old, and I have fond memories of being “daddy’s little girl.” With the wisdom that comes with age, I also remember and reflect on my father’s human frailty. The romantic recollections of the past are now joined by the acknowledgment of my father’s imperfections. I have begun to understand how the Lord has used it all to His good purpose in His divine plan.

My husband and I were at church. While it’s my habit to look in the church bulletin in advance for the Scripture reading – today I had not. We stood for the reading of the Word and the elder began to read from the selected Scripture passage. As he read, I began to weep. I was struck by the Lord’s perfect timing. The Father’s Day Scripture reading was the very Scripture written inside my earthly father’s Bible. The Bible he had while in seminary, the Bible he had when I was born and the Bible my brother had discovered last year in a box in our mother’s basement. My brother had given me this Bible just months ago and the Scripture was written in our father’s hand in the inside cover.

This is what divine providence looks like. On Father’s Day the Scripture reading was of my earthly father’s favorite verse, “Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.” Galatians 4:7. My Heavenly Father was reminding me of who I am in Christ Jesus – “a son…an heir through God.” I am His daughter, a member of His family. No matter the ups and downs of family life on this earth, I am a member of His divine family. I am blessed, chosen, predestined, adopted, redeemed and forgiven in Christ (Ephesians 1:3-7).

I am so very thankful of His divine intervention into my life. Since my earthly father’s death, the Lord has surrounded me with family and friends, deacons and pastors, to model His love for me and to point the way to Him. I look back and I’m amazed at His abundant provision – relationally. And I am overcome at His generosity in the provision of a husband for me. A man that continually models the Father’s love to me: leading, correcting, guiding, providing and loving me with a supernatural love when I can be, at times, very difficult to love. I am so very thankful.

Happy Father’s Day to my Heavenly Father! And Happy Father’s Day to all the men the Lord has blessed me to know over the years. I pray you have a wonderful day rejoicing in our Savior and that the Lord brings to mind the many spiritual children you have raised to know Him, to His glory.

Last Day in the Nest: April 19, 2012

Just days ago, our second and last hummer left its nest. I knew he was ready to leave – he barely fit inside the nest. Still, I shed a few tears. It was such a treat to watch the two hatchings grow as mama bird fed them 4-5 times an hour.

I first discovered the nest by accident while walking by the magnolia tree in the corner of our backyard. Movement caught my attention, right at eye level. As I peered into the tree, I saw two tiny beaks peaking over the edge of a nest. It was no bigger than a ping pong ball and nestled in a fork of the tree branch, strategically covered by a thick cluster of waxy leaves.

How exciting! My first opportunity to observe hummingbirds in the nest! Actually, any hatchlings in their nest. What strikes me now, is that I had never discovered a bird’s nest before. Our home borders a canyon after all. The nests are clearly abundant as testified by the roar of baby birds squawking for food at 5:30am. Still, I had never before noticed a nest. Which brings me pause. If God’s creation is abundant and all around me – why hadn’t I noticed it before?

The Lord has taught me quite a few lessons these past few weeks as I’ve observed the hummingbirds. The magnolia tree is just outside our family room window, and every spare moment I’ve run to the window to peer at the nest. God is good. He put the nest right there, right in front of my eyes. What a gift! Which reminds me of many of the Lord’s gifts. They are usually right before our eyes waiting to be discovered.They are tiny and precious, fragile and lasting but a moment. Waiting to be discovered, waiting to be noticed.

Empty Nest: April 20, 2012

My emotions are both sad to see the empty nest and excited to see God’s creation operate as He has designed it. He didn’t design the hatchlings to remain in their nest forever. They were designed to be there but for a moment. Now the young hummingbirds are soaring above the canyon in search of nectar-rich flowers and plump little bugs. Soon enough, they’ll migrate to points south and then return here to find a mate of their own. The cycle will begin all over again. A creation cycle that testifies to God’s glory. What is the purpose of creation? To glorify God.

That’s the Christian’s purpose to – to glorify God.  In all that we do, as we live our lives, to glorify God in the fleeting moments of life. In the mundane repetition of our lives, we are to know God and make Him known. It was during an ordinary walk about the backyard that I discovered the hummingbird nest. The hummingbirds reminded me of knowing God. Not just in His Word, but in His creation. His creation testifies to His separateness, His brilliance and His awesome power and creativity. I must remember to observe God’s presence in the ordinary moments of life.

Rotunda's Nest: April 10, 2012

The cycle of life is already beginning again. On the opposite side of our home is a bank of tall bushes. Nestled in the branches is a tiny nest. It’s been under construction and is now ready, patiently waiting for eggs. And perched on a high branch is a rotund little hummingbird…

 ¹ How lovely are Your dwelling places,
O LORD of hosts!
² My soul longed and even yearned for the courts of the LORD;
My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.
³ The bird also has found a house,
And the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young,
Even Your altars, O LORD of hosts,
My King and my God.
⁴ How blessed are those who dwell in Your house!
They are ever praising You. Psalm 84:1-4

Easter Sunday in SoCal 2009

In a few weeks, I’ll be the guest speaker at a local women’s event. It’s my first formal speaking engagement and I had to provide a head shot and bio for the promotional material, ugh. The days hiding behind the pen and paper – or computer and word processor – are numbered. I’m not sure what the Lord is up to, but I do know that He calls Christ-followers to proclaim the Gospel and to give an answer for the hope that we have.

So, I answered the call to speak and submitted the photo and bio. What came back to me to review gave me pause to smile. One of the ladies in leadership had inserted “Southern born and bred” right smack dab in the first line of my bio. She’s Southern, too, and she knows what it means to be “Southern born and bred.”

I’m reminded of a friend from the Northwest who once said to me, “For every coffee stand in Seattle, there’s a church in Alabama!” I couldn’t have said it better. Recollections begin to flood my mind.

Easter is just weeks behind us and I recall the emphasis on new clothes, new shoes, new everything. Back in the South, dressing up for Sunday was just dressin’ up for Sunday. Sure, all little boys and girls (and some big ones, too!) got a new outfit for Resurrection Sunday. But, for Southerners, every Sunday was for dressin’ up. No slacks for the women, puh-lease! Put on a nice dress for goodness sake! And the men always wore ties. If you couldn’t afford a fancy dress coat, you could beg or borrow a tie (no stealin’ – wouldn’t be fittin’ for church!). Only the boys were excused, though not for long. Any self-respecting Southern mama made sure her boy was raised up right.

You see, it wasn’t so much putting’ on a show as it was showing respect. We were in the Lord’s house, after all. Show a little respect! And that meant taking the time and care to put on your Sunday best. In those days, no one would ever dream of taking a latte into the sanctuary. And no loud talking once you entered. Calm yourself before the Lord. It was about Him, after all. Social hour began after the preaching was done. The sanctuary was for whispering and singing. Only those from the pulpit spoke in raised voices.

I remember the first time I visited a Southern California church. My husband took me aside before leaving the house for the service. “Honey,” he said in his serious voice, “You need to know…they’ll probably have a praise band there.”

“What? A ‘praise band’?” I exclaimed. “What’s that?” “Well,” he replied, “it’s usually a guitarist or two and a drummer. Maybe someone at the keyboard.” Keyboard! What in the world? What about the piano and the organ? I kept calm on the outside and asked him, “Where do they put the praise band? Are they located behind the pulpit?” He laughed nervously and said, “Well, uh…there’s not really a pulpit. It’s usually just a stage with a podium.” “A stage with a podium?” My voice was becoming more excited and the volume was rising. “Is that in front of the choir loft? What about the baptismal? Where is that?” My ‘what-a-proper-sanctuary-should-be-equiped-with’ questions hit him rapid-fire.

By the time I was done, we were both laughing, seeing the humor in the situation. I was not in the South anymore. Things were different out here. Throw decorum out the door, wear what you please, just no cleavage in the front row, please. Hymnals? What hymnals? There were no hymns and song lyrics were projected onto a big screen which would later capture the image of the mega-pastor of the mega-church. Mega-church?! Another thing I had to adjust to out here. Inevitably the high density of Southern Californians was a petri dish for mega-churches. They would later pop up in parts of the Deep South. But, at that time, mega-churches were relegated to urban Florida. Florida is called New York South for a reason, you know.

So much for the church on every corner! This different land – different world, really – would take some gettin’ used to. The funny thing is, after years of searching, we finally found a church much like the one I grew up in. Just a few hundred people, family focused, no lattes, hymnals in the seat back, Sunday night services for the faithful and home fellowships with potluck suppers! I’m in heaven! Well, the best this world can offer. So incredibly thankful!

I never tire of recollecting, recalling memories from a childhood spent in the South. I remember our pastor’s name – Brother Liveoak. What a Southern name! Liveoak. His pretty wife had blonde hair and lots of it. I spent a lot of time staring at her thick head of blonde hair. She had such a pretty smile. She and her husband always had a kind word for me and my two rowdy little brothers.

Life would test us all and my formative years spent in the South have sustained me to the present. Out here, there are few who fear and respect the Lord. How do I communicate His holiness to them? We grew up with it. The fear of the Lord was ingrained in us through hearing the Word of God. Everything was God-centered, even if we weren’t! And we sure did know about “hellfire and damnation.” So many lessons learned about the Lord at a very young age. That’s why I never tire of reflecting on this verse:

The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.’ Acts 17:24-28

He determined the boundaries of my habitation and I am ever so thankful. Even if those boundaries were widened to include the Land of Fruits and Nuts!

Today the two little hummers taught me a lesson. A storm has rolled into town and it is bearing down on us in waves of wind and rain. We can hear thunder in the distance. I was praying for the little hummers as the wind rocked the magnolia tree and huge raindrops pelted their nest. No man-made roller coaster has anything on their nest right now! My husband left the room. He can’t watch anymore.

After the first wave of the storm passed, I ran up to the window to check the nest. And what did I see? Two little hummers peaking out! Praise God! They made it through the first wave of the storm. Then the hatchings began to cry and within seconds the mother hummer landed on the branch of a nearby olive tree. As soon as I backed away from the window, she flew to the nest and fed the hatchings during the break in the wind and rain. Her timing was perfect.

A minute later, wave two of the storm hit with strong winds, pelting rain and hail! Smaller than a pea and hail just the same. Ugh! After the hail stopped, I ran up the window and looked out. Two little beaks were still visible. I tell you, this is not for the faint of heart. And that is the lesson the Lord is teaching me. Trusting Him calms the fainting heart.

Hear my cry, O God;
Give heed to my prayer.
From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint;
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
For You have been a refuge for me,
A tower of strength against the enemy. Psalm 61:1-3

We are in the midst of another trial and friends comment on our faith, our composure. We don’t see it that way, of course. I can’t speak for my husband, but I do struggle with fear, uncertainty and doubt – not about who God is, but what He will do. The irony is that although I don’t know what He will do – I do know what He is doing. He is doing a work in and through me. He is teaching me to persevere, to trust and to serve in the midst of uncertainty. So many lessons and I’m sure I’ll recognize more as time goes by.

Back to the hummers. What did they teach me specifically? What it means to trust. The wind roared, the rain pelted and the hail rained down. They tucked themselves deep into the nest and road out the storm. As soon as the storm passed, they cried out for Momma Hummer and she immediately came to them and fed them. They had trust in the midst of chaos. They cried out knowing she would come, knowing she would answer. It was just another day in the hummer hood!

 The LORD is my strength and my shield;
in him my heart trusts, and I am helped;
my heart exults,
and with my song I give thanks to him. Psalm 28:7

That’s what the hatchings reminded me of – what it means to trust the Lord. He is watching over us in the midst of life’s uncertainties and the storms will pass. He is teaching us to trust Him. We don’t know when or how things will work out, but we do know of the Lord’s faithfulness and His provision. Peace in the midst of conflict. Care and feeding of our souls. Longing to know Him and make Him known. He is teaching us. Reminding us. One day at a time in our neighbor-hood. To His glory.

Sorting Out Me From Him

After several moments of reflection, I realized I was homesick for what once was and what I thought my life would be. Over the past weeks, I’ve been trying to discern the desires of my heart from the desires the Lord has given me. It’s tough going at times when you’ve carried certain dreams with you so long that you can’t separate your desires from the Lord’s. That’s the lesson the Lord has been teaching me lately, sorting out me from Him. We are separate and yet one. My flesh cohabitating with His Holy Spirit. The Lord has been trying to get me to see His path for me, and it’s not the path my flesh has created. My self-made path was littered with unmet expectations and discontent.

The lump of melancholy in my heart was abruptly dislodged by the comments of a wise older women. She said, “You know you’re serving in the flesh when you’re serving with two companions…stress and anxiety.” Bam! I was hit right between the eyes with the truth. I had been hanging out with stress and anxiety and invited fear and doubt to join us! A party of five feasting at the table of discouragement.

The wise woman was trying to get me to understand that communing with God is living without fear. She explained, “When we’re truly communing with God, there is no room for fear.” I had been living with fear and second guessing where the Lord had placed me. And I got there by focusing too much time on myself – my expectations and the expectations others unwittingly had thrust upon me. My personal introspection had taken focus off the Lord and His joy. The fruit bearing was quickly drying up.

As C.S. Lewis said, “It is in the process of being worshipped that God communicates His presence to men.” That’s the worship part – the reflection on the Lord, His attributes, His greatness. That’s where I drifted off a bit. I was so intent on seeking the Lord and His will, that I forgot to rest in His presence – to praise and adore Him and meditate upon Him.

My lack of praise and adoration of God led to dissatisfaction with life – the very life He had given me rich with abundant blessings. This is the lesson He has been teaching me, the application of Philippians 4:11b-12:

“…for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.”

Longing for Home

Remembrances of times past reminded me of my longing for the Lord in the present. It’s more than a Christian longing for a future home in heaven. It’s about the Christian, in his or her present circumstances, living with the Lord on this side of eternity. I had left my home, so to speak. I had left His presence in the throne room. Fortunately, He is patiently waiting for me there. He has not left. It is I that must return through worship of His worth-ship.

I’m reminded of Joseph S. Carroll’s commentary of Mary, sister of Martha, in his book How to Worship Jesus Christ:

Mary anointed Christ against his burial. How did she know? He revealed it to her. None of the others knew, but she knew. Why did He reveal it? Mary had chosen. She knew what is was to have intimate fellowship with her Lord; therefore, she received a great reward: the unspeakable honor of sharing the deep feelings of His heart.

That is my desire. To share the deep feelings of His heart. Not to wallow in the depths of earthly expectations and self-absorption. David said it so well:

One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the LORD
And to meditate in His temple. Psalm 27:4

What’s the secret of living a contented life? “Resting, resting in the joy of what Thou art.”

Jesus! I am resting, resting
In the joy of what Thou art;
I am finding out the greatness
Of Thy loving heart.
Thou hast bid me gaze upon Thee,
And Thy beauty fills my soul,
For, by Thy transforming power,
Thou hast made me whole.

Jean S. Pignott, 1876

¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20

The LORD has established His throne in the heavens,
And His sovereignty rules over all. Psalm 103:19

Mordecai's Triumph by Pieter Lastman 1617

The Lord has placed me on an extraordinary journey this summer – a journey rich in the understanding of His sovereign hand in my life. Through a series of  divine “coincidences”, the Lord prompted me to write a Bible study for the first time. Although I have written various topical Bible studies and devotions, this was to be my first written study on a book of the Bible.

As Providence would have it, that book would be Esther. The irony of His selection was not lost on me as I realized the mercy in His calling. Of all the books of the Bible, the Lord ordained an Old Testament narrative, just 10 chapters long. I laughed with my girlfriends that the Lord didn’t lead me to the Book of Romans or the Gospel of John! But where the Book of Esther may appear to be a simple narrative, it has great underlying complexity. Where the simplicity is seen in the LORD’s faithfulness to the nation of Israel, the complexity is seen in His providential activity:

“Providence is an old theological word that is used to explain the fact that God accomplishes exactly what He plans, purposes, promises, prophesies and He does it without interrupting, without suspending, without overturning the natural course of things. He does it by pulling together and orchestrating all the free behaviors of all people, all contingencies, all events, all actions and all reactions. That, dear friends, is a display of greater power than a miracle.” John MacArthur, Sermon Excerpt of Mark 15:42-47

Hidden Activity or Obvious Presence?

God’s providential activity in everyday life is difficult for us to see. Somehow through our self-absorption and daily distractions, we miss the obvious presence of the Lord. I was thinking about this recently when the FedEx logo came to mind. Many people see the ubiquitous logo and never see the arrow. Check it out, there’s an arrow in the midst of the letters. Once you notice it, you wonder how it was ever possible not to see it. That’s the way I think of God’s activity. Once He opens our eyes through faith, His presence is overwhelming. We get to see His activity in the midst of our present obedience.

“He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.” John 14:21

There is so much to love about the Book of Esther, so many divine truths to mine in the Word! In a book that does not mention God by name or make reference to prayer, God’s activity is undeniable in preserving a people for His name’s sake. Throughout the writing of the Bible study and teaching of Esther, I was reminded of this verse:

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness. 2 Timothy 3:16

So what did I learn about the Lord? Here’s a brief recap, a brief taste, of the many truths to be discovered in the Book of Esther:

1. God’s redemptive plan does not depend on what we do – but on what He does
2. God providentially intervenes through ordinary events and circumstances
3. God works through flawed, sinful people
4. God’s covenant kindness is demonstrated by His loyal love
5. God does not need to be visible to be present, nor visible to be active
6. “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” James 4:6
7. God’s sovereignty rules over all!

In fluid dynamics, the drag coefficient (commonly denoted as: c_d, c_x or c_w) is a dimensionless quality that is used to quantify the drag, or resistance, of an object in a fluid environment such as air or water. Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/drag-coefficient-1#ixzz1N0Twsjb5

While many parallels can be drawn to the Christian walk, I’m keeping this example simple – just like my thinking! For me, the “fluid environment” is the world that I live in and the subsequent choices I make. Fluid environment = choice.

In my Christian walk, the “drag, or resistance” can be the world fighting my Biblically-based choices. I do have choices to make. Will I apply the Word of God or will I tuck my head down to minimize the drag? After all, the Christian lives in an upside down world. While most are coasting along, the Christian lifts his head and is pulled out of the mainstream of worldly thought and behavior.

Drag

This drag, or resistance to the applied Word of God, happened to me once again. It’s a constant force in the Christian walk – somehow related to the pull of gravity, but that’s another discussion altogether. I was recently dragged into the mainstream of postmodern Christian thinking, i.e. man-justification, of an issue clearly addressed in Scripture. It’s a subtle process and before I knew it, compromise.

But God is gracious, long suffering and merciful and woke me up just in time to allow me to correct a situation before it became a stumbling block to many. I asked forgiveness and offered Biblical explanation and it has been a teaching moment to me and for all those involved.

Drift

What preceded drag? Drift. I had drifted from the Word and here’s how it happened. There are issues that – while not necessarily fundamental Gospel issues – are supremely important in the Christian’s walk of faith. We must not minimize these issues. Examples include the Biblical teachings on homosexuality and women teaching men. The Bible is clear on these issues and to compromise is to drift. Drift leads to drag and before you know it, you’re outside the Kingdom, operating outside of God’s Word.

In my case, I was so focused on what a particular ministry did right, that I gave them a mental pass in their area of disobedience. By continuing to support this ministry I was being drug into a very compromising position. As my husband asked me, “How can you teach women to be obedient to the Word of God when this ministry is knowingly disobedient?”

Duh moment. The Bible is clear. We insert uncertainty when we compromise. We complicate matters and make the waters of life murky. All of the sudden we’ve made an area “grey” where the Bible is crystal clear.

The Road to Compromise

That’s where I found myself, on the precipice, at the fork in the road, call it what you like. I was in the exit lane about to turn onto the wide path. All because I was so focused on the supposed big picture that I compromised on the small thing. The Lord is faithful. He stepped in and opened my eyes to compromise.

Suddenly I was at the fork in the road less travelled where each Christian has a choice to make. What I’ve realized is that the Christian walk is “easy” for far too many. So many live their Christian lives with little resistance because they seldom make choices – any choices! There’s that drag coefficient again. Making choices goes against the mainstream – even the mainstream of current Christian thinking.

In my case, if I had stayed on the road to compromise, my circle of godly friends would have seen me leading what they perceived to be a faithful Christian walk. They would have assumed I was living an obedient Christian life. But I know from Scripture that partial obedience is no obedience at all. When God opens your eyes and you compromise, God is not glorified and intimacy with Him is the ultimate casualty.

“But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.” John 3:21

We must remain women with strong convictions. These convictions will not remain strong if we compromise the “small” things. Compromise dulls our sensitivity to the Word and to the Holy Spirit and discernment is lost. True Biblical discernment is the application of the Word of God.

Throughout the Old Testament, the revelations of God always follow obedience – they do not precede obedience. God reveals Himself to us as a response to our obedience to His Word. That’s how we experience intimacy with God, through obedience to His Word:

For the devious are an abomination to the LORD;
But He is intimate with the upright. Proverbs 3:32

How do we remain upright? How do we resist the drift? By not compromising on the perceived small things. I continue to learn that where God clearly records His position – those areas are not small to Him! Compromising in these areas compromises all areas. He is the Discerner, not me. And as I am obedient, He reveals the intricacy of His Word in the abundance of a life lived with Him.